The hotel meetings and events industry is going through a radical evolution due to new communication technologies, Millennial psychographics, and a rethinking of the overall purpose and value of meetings. Pop culture phenomenons like TED and SXSW are also changing the perspective of what’s possible at conferences. But are meeting planners and hospitality executives jumping on these trends fast enough?

1. The Future
of Meetings
in Hospitality
The hotel meetings and events industry
is going through a radical evolution due to
new communication technologies, Millen-
nial psychographics, and a rethinking of the
overall purpose and value of meetings. Pop
culture phenomenons like TED and SXSW
are also changing the perspective of what’s
possible at conferences. But are meeting
planners and hospitality executives jump-
ing on these trends fast enough?
SKIFT REPORT #13
2014
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3. Table of contents
About Skift
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ligence company that
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in travel and professional
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Executive Summary 3
Introduction 5
Legitimizing meetings (again) 8
Q&A with SVP of group sales/industry
relations at Hilton Worldwide 9
The evolution of event technology 10
Technology driving the planning 11
Tech vendors 12
The rise of web-based meeting platforms 13
The rise of the hotel meeting website 14
The Pinterest planner 15
Getting serious about Wi-Fi 16
REN Meetings 17
A network of networks 17
Tech trends from Dave Nostrand, VP of sales,
the Americas for Marriott International 18
Deconstructed meetings 18
Family meetings 19
Next generation strategy planning 20
Economic impact of meetings 21
The rise of outdoor events 21
Unique and small spaces 22
9 takeaways for smarter meetings 23
Further Reading 26
About Skift 27
The Future of Meetings in Hospitality SKIFT REPORT #12 2014
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4. Wildly popular events such as the annual TED Conference, South by
Southwest in Austin, Oracle’s OpenWorld in San Francisco, C2MTL
in Montreal and others are beginning to influence the traditional
meetings industry. Integrating new technology platforms, myriad
programming themes and alternative education delivery systems,
the meeting of the future is focused on improving engagement
among continually fracturing and distracted attendee audiences.
This report examines the evolution of the meetings industry, specifi-
cally through the lense of hospitality. According to the latest Con-
vention Industry Council report, which tracks trends and collects
data across all segments of the meetings market, 85% of meetings in
the U.S. are conducted at venues with lodging, generating more than
275 million room nights annually.
The traditional breakout room lecture and theater-style ballroom
seating configuration are not going anywhere. However, there is a
drive to supplant that with crowdsourced, co-created, hybrid events
Executive summary
The Future of Meetings in Hospitality SKIFT REPORT #12 2014
3

5. with mobility and technology driving the change. While this shift is
still in its nascent stage, innovative meeting planners, hotel groups
and hotel conference services staff are developing programs to add
new dimensions into the overall meeting scheme.
As is the case in leisure travel, Millennials/Generation Y are driving
these systemic changes in the meetings industry with their crav-
ing for speedy career progression and connected digital communi-
ties crossing personal and professional boundaries. They expect to
cultivate as much professional development opportunities for them-
selves at business events as they do for their employers, and they’re
much more focused on physical/mental wellness and work/life bal-
ance than previous generations.
The advancement of technology in meetings is helping to cut costs,
improve efficiencies and open new communication channels. Ho-
tels are desperately trying to keep up with broadband demand and
fully integrate their front- and back-of-house departments. At many
hotels, meeting planners and hotel staff can now manage every
aspect of large meetings in real time through cloud-based apps and
web platforms.
Social media is another major topic of discussion about how to en-
hance the productivity and level of engagement in meetings. How-
ever, it’s hampered by the reluctance of older generations steadfast-
ly unwilling to embrace it. The rise of multi-generational meetings
with three age demographics in attendance at any given event, each
with different ideas of the role of meetings today, is becoming a sig-
nificant challenge for the meetings industry.
With the rise in demand across all age groups for more experiential,
authentic and local travel experiences, no longer solely the purview
of the leisure traveler, hotels are becoming more integrated with
their local communities. This is one of the most wide open spaces
for evolution in the hospitality industry, with more immersive edu-
cational opportunities and networking experiences offering a strong
return on time and investment for companies and attendees.
The Future of Meetings in Hospitality SKIFT REPORT #12 2014
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